Diaz campaign van crashes after hiding on election day

MICHELLE Rowland, the quiet Labor contender who stormed to thunderous victory in the marginal seat of Greenway, has declared her win "incredibly humbling".

The Labor member held her seat with a 3.1 per cent swing, with 53.8 per cent to the Coalition's 46.1 per cent.

"It was always going to be tight, I was on booths with Liberal people who were telling me to look for a new job," she told Fairfax Media.

"If there's one word to describe this win it is humbling", she said on stage, before a booming three cheers rang out across scooners of lager and a sea of orange T-shirts. There was no mention of Tony Abbott in a room that felt like the federal election had been Labor's.

Ms Rowland said she finally allowed herself to believe the figures at 8pm - and that she hadn't heard from Kevin Rudd but has 70 missed calls and 40 messages on her phone.